Comment Corner: Week of April 4th

Compiling comment corner for Sundays is one of my favorite things to do. Filmmaking has always brought together creative individuals like you and here at comment corner, were able to do that by the powers of the internet.

This Week’s Comments

Persistence, in my (few years and not American) experience, is exactly what sets apart the ones who really really really (3 times) want to be in this industry and those who, simply put, don’t, even if they think they do. I’ve met some who seemed to be extremely passionate about “cinema” and then gave up after spending 2 days on set, not to mention those who decided they had had enough of it all, after years of actually being in the industry, and moved to different careers.

I managed to break my foot heading to a set back in November. I got to set, finished the work, packed up and went home. The very next day I was gripping on the set of a music video. Hadn’t had time to get to the emergency room, so I put on my boots and went to work. After a week I finally got to the emergency room and got put in a walking boot. Which I paired with a cane and worked normally. Then came a damn hard day on set.

When a shoot day starts with your walking boot snapping in half, and having to get one of the actors to drive you to the emergency room 3 blocks away, you’re in for a rough damn day. It ended up being about 17 hours, all taking place in a tiny, cramped apartment that we could barely fit all our gear into. It was hot, stuffy, and we didn’t get to eat much. By the 14th hour, we were all snapping at each other. But do you know what? Now I look at that as one of the most rewarding days of filming I’ve had. It’s the type of day on set that will either prove you to be a filmmaker, or let you know you’re in the wrong business. If your shoots are consistently going completely smoothly, you’re not taking enough risks.

Hey you might want to ask a producer for permission first. Many movies are extremely paranoid about on set photos. I have witnessed an intern get threatened with a lawsuit just for bringing his camera on set. When working as a set stills photographer, I am often explicitly warned against giving out any photos of the crew. I used to at least try to get permission and give out photos as gifts but it became such a hassle I don’t even do it anymore. If a crew member asks me to snap a photo I have to tell them to find someone else to take it because it might be months before I could release it.